Content area
As a result of the social approach adopted in recent years by the Mexican Federal Government, a new strategy has emerged to promote higher education, focusing on the most marginalized individuals and communities, with the goal of fostering their inclusion in professional training at this level. This research presents the philosophical foundations of this initiative, based on the concept of "episteme"; it includes a review of the evolution of higher education in Mexico from the perspective of civil engineering, utilizing a stratigraphic model of knowledge. In particular, the creation of the Benito Juárez García System of Universities for Welfare and the Civil Engineering School in Texcoco, State of Mexico, is described. The latter serves as an alternative to address the consequences of educational policies implemented under the so-called neoliberal framework, representing a potential option for improved social participation in the development of specialized technical capacities. The results and conclusions demonstrate that the educational reforms implemented do not follow a continuous discursive line but rather emerge in response to the episteme or discursive stratum of the moment. As a case study, the current higher education model in civil engineering is presented. In the same way, the results of the new model of the University of Civil Engineering are presented.